In a retail environment, a customer purchases products from a merchant at a point of sale device (e.g., a register configured for handling sales), generally operated by a store employee. Information related to the sales transaction, such as information about the purchased products, and optionally, information about the customer and method of payment is collected by the point of sale device and stored by computer systems maintained by the merchant.
The customer may return a previously purchased item under return policies specified by the merchant. For example, the purchased item may be defective or deemed otherwise unsuitable by the customer, and the merchant may accept the item for return, provided the customer follows return policy rules. Typically, the customer returns one or more items at a point of return device (e.g., a register configured for accepting returns), generally operated by a store employee. Information related to the return transaction, such as information about the returned items, and optionally, information about the returning customer is collected by the point of return device.
Some return policies use information related to returned items as a factor in authorizing a return. For example, return policy rules may specify that a certain category of items is to be accepted for credit, and another category of items is to be accepted for an exchange. Specific return policy rules are generally created by the merchant to allow legitimate item returns and to discourage return fraud or abuse of the return policy.
Return fraud is occasionally perpetrated by customers or employees in a retail environment. For example, a customer may attempt to return a stolen item or an item purchased from another merchant. Specialized or dynamic return policies implemented by a computer system can contribute to reducing incidents of return fraud or return policy abuse.